Avenged Sevenfold frontman M. Shadows has hinted at the direction of the band's next studio album, telling Metal Hammer that it will not sound like "Carry On," the group's contribution to the new video game Call Of Duty: Black Ops II. Shadows explained, "The new album has a lot more of a (Black) Sabbath / (Led) Zeppelinfeel to it than 'Carry On.' There's definitely more Sabbath in what we're writing, and we're proud of 'Carry On,' but this album is going to be on a whole new level."

The new disc is the first that Avenged is writing without drummer James "The Rev" Sullivan, who died in December 2009. Shadows told us that didn't stop the band from deciding to take a different direction: "We had a decision to make on this one. The decision was, okay, do we just make a record that everyone expects us to make, or do we just move forward and make another, different record that we feel more comfortable with, and we chose the latter. So right now we're looking forward to doing something new and exciting and fresh, and hopefully people give it a shot and like it."

Shadows also told Metal Hammerthat the band has six songs completed and hopes to head into the studio to begin recording in late January/early February, with a summer release in the works.

• In addition to contributing "Carry On" to the new Call Of Dutygame, Avenged Sevenfold also appears in the game's closing credits.
• The band's next album will follow up 2010's Nightmare, which was the first Number One record of Avenged Sevenfold's career.
• Call Of Duty: Black Ops II arrived in stores on November 13th and has been selling in record-breaking numbers.